Blood Will Tell (Warriors of Ankh #1) (17 page)

She felt sick at the mention of her father.

“
I spent seventeen years looking for you. I am not giving up until you are saved.” He stood up now, tugging her weak body to her feet. She swayed and both Valeria and he reached for her. Her eyes locked with Valeria’s. They were kind and understanding. Kindred. “I found your bloodline, Eden. I found Merrit’s human bloodline and I’m going to take you to them. We’ll make this right.” His eyes shone now with tears as he cupped her face in his huge palms. “You look so much like your mother.”

She laughed; a hoarse strange sob/laugh and fell into his safe arms.

Epilogue

This Battle has

Just Begun

Eden stared wearily at the suitcase in front of her. Valeria was packing clothes Eden hadn’t worn yet into it. Clothes Valeria had chosen and Cyrus had bought. Clothes that probably cost a small fortune. Although Cyrus had administered a drug to her that helped abate the hunger and made her feel somewhat normal again (at least not crazy anyway), Eden still didn’t want to leave the house and none of the Ankh thought it was a good idea. Cyrus’ home was amazing anyway. It was huge. There was a swimming pool, a bowling alley, tennis courts, a games room. A lot of things to help keep her mind off Stellan. Of course the first day she had slept and then the second day she had taken the drug for the first time and had slept some more. The third day she felt good enough to go for a swim and this was the fourth. Valeria had returned three hours ago with all these clothes. And now they were packing.

Her real mom’s human bloodline was a family who belonged to a group of Neith in Scotland. They were flying to Edinburgh in one day.

“
So, how does this work again?” Eden asked softly, folding a really cool t-shirt with
The Clash
on it into the suitcase. Valeria had great taste in clothes.

“
How does what work?” the Ankh asked, ripping tags off a pair of black jeans. “You should wear these on the plane.” She held them out to her. Eden took them somewhat bemused. She was glad Val was around. After what Cyrus told her she felt a little clingy of Val, needing to be close to someone who had gone through what she had. She was still cagey of them all, despite how connected she felt to Cyrus, and she wasn’t sure she trusted any of them completely. But Val told her that all the paranoia and anger would go away when she completed the transition to full-blooded Ankh.

“
Well do we have to tell these people about what’s wrong with me?” she grumbled, embarrassed at strangers knowing her weird, repulsive and macabre personal business. “Can’t we just like snatch one of them, stick a needle in them and take some blood?”

Val snorted. “That’s your soul eater side talking.”

Eden rolled her eyes. “How do you know? I mean, how do we even know I have an Ankh side?”

“
Because,” Cyrus’ familiar rich voice warmed Eden as he strolled into the huge bedroom he’d given her. “You’ve demonstrated its presence.”

“
Uh, when?”

“
Well, the night of the Ceremony-

She winced, not caring for the reminder of Stellan’s death. The pain of that wasn’t going to disappear with the transition that was for goddamn sure.

-you were in shock and yet your nature, your Ankh nature, compelled you to tell me there was a human girl imprisoned in the basement. Through all that you thought to save her.”

Eden frowned. She had forgotten about that.

“
Your fighting ability is more evidence. You fight naturally. Of course you will need training but the raw material is there.”

Eden grew excited at the mention of training. Cyrus told her there was so much she didn’t know about soul eaters; the truth about their mortality (what the hell did that mean?!), how to kill them etc. And so much to learn about being an Ankh. Eden was impatient to find out all Ryan had kept from her, and impatient to turn herself into a warrior who could take care of herself without help from anybody else. But Cyrus was adamant they get her through this first hurdle before he disclosed all the facts. She wasn’t happy about that, and a part of her questioned her tenuous trust in him, but in the end she needed to see this through.

“
And then there is Noah’s account of things. He tells me you often used your aggression to intimidate bullies at school.”

Eden grunted at Noah’s name. He was still not forgiven. He’d been hanging around because Cyrus insisted on it, but she still wasn’t speaking to him and avoided him whenever he walked into a room. Every time she snuck a glance at him, the heartbreak she felt over losing his friendship, their bond, ripped through her like grief. She had enough of that to deal with. And she was still pretty sure she’d kill his skanky girlfriend if she ever got the chance, soul eater or no soul eater. Stellan was still with her through all this. He always would be. She felt he deserved some kind of vengeance for what happened. To make matters harder to swallow, while her loving brother had died, Cyrus told her, her vile cousin, Teagan, had gotten away. No one could find him. Fate was a heartless bitch sometimes.

We’d get on well
, Eden thought wryly as Cyrus threw her a reproving look at her reaction to Noah’s name.

“
You have to forgive him sometime.” He gave her one of his serious, fatherly looks. She had a feeling Cyrus was going to become pretty overbearing and over protective in the coming months. In a way it was nice.

But not when he was standing up for Noah.

Before she could reply, Valeria shook her head. “She does not need to do anything of the kind. If being angry at Noah is what she needs right now, then so be it. For now, all Eden needs to concentrate on is getting to Edinburgh and getting through the transition. We still have a faction of Neith after her, remember.”

Cyrus scowled but nodded. “Of course.”

At the mention of the Neith, Eden’s hand trembled as she stuffed socks into a zipped compartment of the suitcase. This Cosmina Arcos person, or whoever she was, apparently wasn’t giving up. It seemed she didn’t care how many Neith it took to kill Eden, she was determined to see it through. And there appeared to be enough Neith that agreed with her assessment of Eden’s existence to carry on the hunt indefinitely. They would have to be careful on this trip to Scotland, and be ready at a moment’s notice to defend themselves against attack. Word was also out that The Tribunal were hunting Eden and Teagen after discovering the mess at the Winslow home. According to Cyrus, the soul eaters had disposed of all incriminating evidence of their existence, including what they had discovered in the basement. Now they were looking for someone to punish for the Winslow’s obvious crimes, and since Eden and Teagan were the only two left, they were the targets.

Just the thought of that
and
jet lag exhausted Eden.

A knock at the door stilled them in their conversation. Noah’s mom, Emma, came in carrying a tray of food and the drug Eden was taking. Somehow she had managed to apologise to Emma for what she had done to her. They were all under strict command from Cyrus never to mention the compulsion again because it would make things worse for Eden with
all
Neith if word got out. Still, she had felt she needed to say something. And Emma had been incredibly cool about the whole thing, including the two hundred bucks she’d stolen from her. In fact Emma was the only thing Eden liked about Noah. His dad Alain was a grumpy old man trapped in a young twenty something’s body, and he clearly didn’t trust her one iota (OK, so maybe she didn’t blame him for that). And of course Noah, himself, was of questionable character.

“
Thanks.” Eden smiled as Emma lay the tray down.

“
You’re welcome. Nearly all packed?” She asked, gazing at the clothes strewn across the bed.

“
I do not think this much clothing is necessary.” Cyrus rubbed his jaw, looking it all over.

“
How long are we going to be there?” Eden asked.

He shrugged. “I am unsure.”

Emma grinned at that and began to leave. She threw over her shoulder as she opened the door, “Then maybe you’ll need more clothes.”

Val smiled at the thought (the woman loved clothes) but Cyrus groaned. Eden found herself chuckling and was surprised by the sound. She stopped and gazed at her hands.

“
It is alright to smile, Eden.” Val reached over and squeezed her hand.

She looked at up at these two powerful warriors who had designated themselves her guardians. “Maybe I’ll feel that way too sometime.”

Cyrus raised his eyebrows, appraising the clothes. “I am confused. I thought all these clothes would bring a smile to your face but it seems I have been misinformed about teenage girls.”

“
Oh no.” Eden pulled the t-shirt he held out of his hands. “These rate a smirk of pleasure.”

“
Ah good.” He grinned now, something he didn’t do often. It lit up his whole face. He was so handsome. She could see why her mom would have fallen for him. “I am worried that the jet will not fly with the weight though.”

Yup. He
had
said ‘jet’. The jet. Eden still couldn’t get over how loaded Cyrus was. They were flying into Scotland on his private jet. How surreal was that? He said it was for security purposes, and from all the talking on his cell he was doing, Eden gathered he had people in high places misdirecting where his jet was taking off for so that if anyone (Cosmina, Neith, or Tribunal) did successfully break through Cyrus’ security, then they would end up heading for the wrong country. She was pretty sure she’d heard the word ‘Minsk’ a couple of times.

She snorted at his joke and reached over for the drug on the tray Emma had left. Unabashedly, Eden rolled up her sleeve and administered it herself, the prick of the needle barely registering. She felt her hunger whine inside her chest at the injustice. Sighing at its lustful and still very strong fight, Eden’s eyes flew between Val and Cyrus, thinking about all those human souls she was soon going to have to deal with. It was bad enough being trapped in a house with the delicious Michelin star souls of the Ankh, but she had a connection to them now and didn’t want to hurt them. She didn’t know any Scottish people from Adam. Those were some seriously in danger foreign souls.

She sighed, exhausted just thinking about the struggle she was about to undergo. “You think Scottish people are less tasty… ‘cause that would really help me out.”

The End

Read on for a sneak preview of Blood Past, book two in the Warriors of Ankh series…

Chapter One

Divine Approval

They were inside the non-descript rented Volvo barely two minutes, pulling away from the Leuchar’s airfield in the tourist town of St. Andrews, when Cyrus’ cell rang. He flipped it open and answered immediately, pulling the car over to the side of the road. Eden absently took in the open country around them. She’d been instantly enamoured by the crisp fresh air of Scotland, and already used to the sometimes cold springs in Detroit, wasn’t bothered by the cool, grey day, or the threat of showers in the gradually filling stomachs of the clouds above. Behind them, she heard the gravel shift as Valeria pulled the Volvo she was driving in behind them. Glancing in the wing mirror, Eden saw both Noah and Val frowning.

It was then she realised she’d never heard Cyrus sound so reverent on the phone before. Who was he talking to?

“
I do appreciate you coming,” he said in a low voice and Eden pricked her sensitive ears, hoping to catch the other side of the conversation. As if he knew, Cyrus leaned away from her, throwing her a look out of the corner of his eye. “Yes.” He nodded. “Alright. Where? No, that is fine, I have sat nav. Yes. Alright. Thirty minutes.” He snapped the cell shut and glanced at her with a thoughtful look.

“
Who was that?”

“
That… was Darius.”

“
Darius? Who’s-” Eden’s mouth formed a little ‘o’. “Darius. As in the oldest of the Ankh, Darius?”

“
Yes.”

“
Is everything OK?”

Cyrus smiled a little. “Yes. My old friend just likes to surprise me. I told him where we were going and he has decided to drop in for a visit.”

“
He’s going to be in Edinburgh when we get there?”

Her guardian’s eyes darkened. “Darius prefers a solitary existence. If other warriors were to know of his location he would be swamped with visitors. No. He is meeting us in a travel motel.” Cyrus leaned forward now and began punching in new coordinates on the annoying sat nav. “It will be a brief visit. He just wants to meet you.”

This Darius sounded like the ultimate enigma. He’d been through this situation with one of the Unforeseen before. Twice in fact. He was actually older than Cyrus. If Cyrus was intimidating she couldn’t imagine what this guy was like! Her heart began to thump a little harder and faster in her chest. “Why?”

“
I should think that obvious.”

“
Not really.”

“
You are one of the Unforeseen and very important to me.” The warmth in his eyes felt like a cosy blanket tucking her in tight, safe and content. She fought the feeling, still doubting, despite everything, the trustworthiness of the Ankh. “Whatever else he might be, Darius is a friend. He just wants to…”

Eden curled a lip as sudden realisation dawned. “Inspect me.”

“
Well-”

“
Yeah, yeah. He wants to check I’m not going to turn on you or whatever. I get it. What I don’t get is how he could possibly know better than you.”

Cyrus sighed. “Eden, some may say my judgement is impaired by my connection to you. I do not agree. However, Darius is not so sure. He understands. He is very close to Valeria. Moreover, Darius is old. Very old.”

“
What exactly does that mean?”

He gave her no reply, just smiled a frustratingly mysterious smile and flipped open his cell again. He pressed a speed dial button and the other person picked up immediately. “Valeria, change of plans. Put these coordinates into the sat nav.” He rhymed off the destination. “We are meeting Darius.”

They pulled into the travel inn about thirty minutes later. Eden already had this nervous, butterfly feeling in her stomach.

Valeria and Noah pulled up beside them, Val coming to her side as soon as she got out of the car. “Everything will be fine, Eden. No need to look so worried.”

She nodded but her eyes searched out Noah and locked onto his calm violet gaze. His reassurance made her feel a little bit better. It was only as they turned to follow Cyrus, Eden realised what she’d done. These past few weeks she’d been pretty good at hating Noah, but clearly turning to him in time of need was an old, subconscious habit she needed to break. Cyrus drew them to the reception and over to the elevator. Inside, the four of them stood in a tense silence, only really made tense by Eden’s obvious uneasiness. She felt Cyrus squeeze her shoulder as they sidled out of the elevator. Calling herself all kinds of wuss, Eden threw her shoulders back and followed the Ankh determinedly down the hall. Feeling Noah’s knowing smile on her, she slowly turned to glare at him, which only made his grin grow wider. Huffing at him, Eden almost missed the charge of electricity that shot through her body. The further down the corridor they travelled, however, the hotter and deeper the vibration became, thrumming through her body. She knew it wasn’t right.

“
What’s going on?” She drew to an abrupt halt, staring at the three of them, trying to mask her sudden fear.

Cyrus nodded. “That would be Darius you are feeling.”

What the…?

With no more explanation (not that that had really been one) Cyrus finally came to a stop outside one of the rooms. He knocked on the door, two slow raps and then three short raps. The latch on the door popped but the door itself didn’t swing open. It was kind of creepy. And Eden knew a lot about creepy. Bracing herself against the abnormal amount of energy radiating from the room, Eden followed her companions into it. Cyrus shut the door behind him, and Eden watched as he then crossed the room to shake hands with its sole occupant. He wasn’t what Eden had been expecting. He wasn’t as tall as Cyrus, nor Noah. At about 5 “11 he should have appeared short next to them. But he didn’t. He was a compact man, muscular and powerful looking. What was most striking was the way he moved. His gestures were animalistic and controlled. He was the epitome of strength and grace and the energy that emanated from him was un-freaking-believable.

As the man shook hands with Noah and then hugged Valeria, Eden’s pulse pounded harder and harder as the monster within whined in irritation. From Darius there was no sense of soul. Not exactly. There was something. Something molten and formidable… not pure exactly, but sparkling with such crystal clarity, it was hypnotising. And yet… she did not hunger for whatever it was; which made her question its property as a soul.

“
This must be Eden.”

Eyes narrowed, Eden watched as the man approached slowly.

“
Eden.” Cyrus strolled over to them, as they eyed one another. “This is Darius.”

Minding her manners, Eden stuck out a hand. “Pleased to meet you, sir.”

Darius’ full mouth quirked up at the corner and his black eyes sought Cyrus. Those eyes gave nothing away, almost as blank as that of a soul eater. He took her hand, and Eden was almost blown off her feet by his power.

“
What the-”

“
Eden,” Cyrus rushed in before she could say anything that would be construed as rude. “Darius wanted to meet with you before the change.”

“
I see.”
I really don’t.

“
Come,” Darius commanded in his deep voice, gesturing to the dining table at the window that overlooked the freeway, or motorway, as the Brits called it. “Let’s sit.”

As Eden took a seat, ignoring the heat of Noah’s body so close to hers as he took the seat beside her, she studied Darius. Like Cyrus he only looked in his early thirties. He wasn’t as handsome as Cyrus. There was something austere about his hawk-like features, but his dark skin and eyes were just as exotic. His was a face you felt compelled to stare at.

“
I hear you have had a difficult time, Eden,” he began.

She shrugged but cleared her throat when Noah elbowed her, reminding her who she was speaking to. “Uh, yeah , I guess.”

“
You lost your family. Your brother.”

She felt herself go cold inside. “Yes,” she managed through clenched teeth, narrowing her eyes and suddenly not caring who this guy was.

Darius’ expression didn’t change. He shifted forward, however, leaning over the table towards her. Eden’s eyes flickered down at the movement and caught on the tattoo on the inside of his wrist. It looked familiar. It was an eye. But it was more than that. And definitely Egyptian in style.

“
Stellan.”

Eden flinched at the name and looked back up into Darius’ face.

“
That was your brother’s name, was it not?”

“
Yes.”

“
Do you miss him?”

Heart pounding like crazy now, Eden’s rage fought the effects of the drug Cyrus had given her, waking up her hunger. Noah’s soul, the one that had always tormented her most, reached out to her with warm fingers.

Take it, Eden.
Take
it. Take it for Stellan.

No,
she shook her head, curling her toes inside her boots. She shoved back from the table, away from Noah and the others and glared at this man who seemed to be deliberately baiting her. “What kind of question is that?” she snapped.

“
Eden,” Cyrus warned.

She glared at him, her eyes saying,
‘I knew it. I knew you weren’t to be trusted.’

“
What is this?” she glanced around at them all.

“
Eden.” Noah reached for her, as if to calm her, and she slapped his arm away, jerking to her feet.

“
Just answer the question.”

Darius’ voice rumbled through her and almost like compulsion, she knew she’d answer. “Yes,” she hissed. “I miss him.”

“
How much?”

“
What-”

“
Answer.”

Trembling now, and feeling as if somehow she was being ambushed, Eden felt angry tears prick her eyes.

Want their
souls
.
The Hunger purred.
Want
. Take
. It roared now in fury.
TAKE!

Shuddering at the need inside her, a need that hadn’t been so strong since she’d begun taking the drug, Eden dropped her eyes and bit her hands into the edge of the table. She could feel their gazes burning into her. She knew her eyes had bled white; that they knew her hunger was trying to take control of her.

“
It’s like someone’s cut off my arm or something,” she growled out in a voice that was barely recognisable. “I keep expecting him to bound through the door, or send me a funny text. I dream he’s still alive. And when I wake up, the agony is like a beast inside my chest, ripping me from the inside out. The days when I feel numb are better. Hard. And numb. I can live with that.”

They were all quiet. That hushed kind of quiet. It was the first time she’d ever vocalised the depth of her despair over losing Stellan. She knew they didn’t understand. How could she possibly love a soul eater? Was this Darius’ test? Had he decided her love for her brother made her a risk?”

“
Do you want vengeance for his death?”

“
Yes!” she snapped, her eyes burning now. She glanced down at Noah who refused to look away. His girlfriend, a Warrior of Neith called Romany, had killed Stellan. She knew now that Romany and Noah had split up. Valeria had cracked a joke about it on the plane just before they landed. An awkward ten minutes had followed as she realised mentioning Romany in any capacity was a bad idea. “I want vengeance.”

“
Will you take that vengeance?”

Somehow, she knew this ancient warrior would know if she lied. Holding his gaze determinedly, the hunger roared in triumph, mistaking her meaning as she replied, “If I ever see her again, I will kill her.”

Darius nodded. His complete lack of expression was frustrating as all hell. Still trembling Eden waited, knowing some kind of deliberation was going on inside his head.

“
Noah.” Darius didn’t break eye contact with her. “Please take Eden out to the car. Cyrus and Valeria will join you soon.”

“
Of course. It was a pleasure seeing you again, Darius.”

“
And you as well.”

Completely dazed by her abrupt dismissal, Eden numbly followed Noah out of the motel room and down the corridor. She was so out of it, the proprietary touch of his hand on her back, leading her into the elevator, barely made a blip on her radar.

It wasn’t until they were outside at the cars, drawing in the cool fresh air, that Noah stopped them. He pressed her back against the car, holding her gaze, trying to nudge her out of her mind melt.

“
Eden.”

She shook her head. “Go away.”